Injury alert
Out — ankle injury
Practice: Did not practice — ankle injury
Updated Sat 9:33 AM ET · Est. return Oct 11 · Source: ESPN injury report · Practice: NFL official injury report, week 4 (via nflverse)
Is Justin Jefferson playing this week?
OutJustin Jefferson is listed as Out for the week 4 game against the Miami Dolphins (ankle injury). Out means not expected to play.
Estimated return: Oct 11.
Official practice report (week 4): Did not practice, ankle injury.
Kickoff: Sun, Oct 4 · 4:05 PM ET.
Checked Oct 3, 7:32 PM ET against the ESPN injury report and the NFL's official weekly report (via nflverse). Injury news can change up to kickoff, so confirm with the team close to game time.
From the beat
What reporters are saying about him, last 3 days.
Fowler: Vikings hope Justin Jefferson (ankle) can return Week 5.
Underdog NFL @UnderdogNFL · 10h ago · View on X
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson is out Sunday due to his sprained ankle.
Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter · 1d ago · View on X
Justin Jefferson has been ruled out.
Ian Rapoport @RapSheet · 1d ago · View on X
Justin Jefferson has been ruled out, giving him this week and the bye to recover.
Ian Rapoport @RapSheet · 1d ago · View on X
Injury ripple · Week 4
Justin Jefferson out: no games without him to compare, his target share is open
Justin Jefferson is out for Week 4, and there are no games without him in the last two seasons to compare, so we can't show how teammates were used in his absence. He leaves behind 5.7 targets per game (25% of the team's targets) this season, and Jordan Addison has the next-biggest share at 24%.
Read the full note →Ask StatGrades about Justin Jefferson
Ask your own questionOur numbers plus what they can't show: injuries around him, role changes, weather, rest and travel, line moves and the latest reporting, all linked.
Fantasy football · Week 4
Our own start/sit calls for every player, with a projected score, the range of likely outcomes and the reasons spelled out. Built from usage, matchup, Vegas lines and injuries. How we rank
Ruled out — find a replacement.
Why we say out
- Out — ankle injury.
- Averaging 5.7 targets a game.
- Played 12% of the offense's snaps last game.
Recent form
Dashed line: the usual 10.6 a game
This week's matchup
- Expected team score
- ~24 pts
- Vegas line
- MIN favored by 10
- Game total
- 38.5
- MIA vs WRs
- 9% fewer points
- Last game snaps
- 12%
All week 4 wide receiver rankings →Start or sit tool →How our past calls did →
Age
27
Height
6'1"
Weight
192 lb
College
LSU
Experience
6 seasons
Draft
2020 · Pick #22 (MIN)
Status
ACT
Grade Breakdown
What do these mean?Why 86.3?
The grade is driven almost entirely by efficiency: Jefferson produced a lot of expected points per target, 7th among 62 receivers. His other measures were close to average. This is a small sample of 18 targets over 2 games, so a few plays can move it a lot.
Lifting the grade
- +0.859 expected points per target, 7th of 62 WRs, was the main lift.
- Week 1 vs GB, Q2: a 39-yard touchdown catch from Wentz was worth +3.8 expected points.
- Week 1 vs GB, Q4: a 9-yard touchdown on 3rd and 5 added +2.9 expected points.
Written by StatGrades AI from this season's play-by-play through week 3. It explains what happened; a grade isn't a forecast (what grades do and don't predict).
EPA / play
0.873
Success rate
56%
WPA (sum)
0.30
Opponent adj.
-0.013
Plays graded
18
Advanced stats
2026 season through Week 2 · tracking data from NFL Next Gen Stats| Week | Separation | Cushion | YAC above exp |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3.0 | 4.6 | +1.3 |
| 2 | 3.0 | 3.9 | +1.3 |
What do these mean?
- Separation:
- Average distance from the nearest defender at the moment of the catch.
- Cushion:
- Average distance from the nearest defender at the snap.
- YAC above exp:
- Yards after catch above what the situation would be expected to produce.
- YAC / rec:
- Average yards after the catch per reception.
- Expected YAC:
- Expected yards after the catch, based on tracking data.
- Air yards share:
- Share of the team's intended air yards that were thrown toward this player.
- Intended air yds:
- Average depth of the targets thrown his way.
- Catch %:
- Receptions divided by targets.
Next Gen Stats data via nflverse (CC BY 4.0). Updated after games are final, not live, and covers QB, RB, WR and TE.